Course Program

Open up and let it fly: alignment for flop shots

Set up for high shot, for a 27-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Warrenpoint Golf Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 27.27 drills52% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

9 to 45

Average HCP

27.2

Duration (single session)

3 hr 2 min

or

1 drill/day: 7 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Alignment32%
Distance Control21%
Accuracy12%
Scoring11%
Aim10%
Precision6%
Trajectory5%
Dispersion3%

Overview

Program Structure

Open up and let it fly: alignment for flop shots. Check clubface and set up for high shot. Focus on Alignment, Distance Control, Accuracy. For a 27-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Alignment

Shot

Flop

What you will improve

  • Alignment
  • Distance Control
  • Accuracy
  • Scoring

Program details

Sessions
7 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 2 min
or
1 drill per day
7 days · 26 min/day

Drill Framework

Program breakdown

Each drill is designed to prepare you for the course. Follow the program or repeat the drills to improve key areas of your game.

01

Flop | Fairway | Flat

Short Game

Hit flop shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat fairway.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Fairway | Flat
1

Place two pins on the green about 8 feet apart to mark target zones.

2

Set up 5 to 20 yards from the hole on flat ground.

3

Hit 36 flop shots in 3 sets of

4

Aim all first 12 shots at the left target.

5

Aim all next 12 shots at the right target.

6

For the last 12 shots, switch target every 3 shots: 3 left, 3 right, then repeat.

7

Keep the same ball setup for every shot.

8

Count a shot as success if ball stops within 3 feet of target.

9

After all 36 shots, enter your number of successful shots out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963
02

Flop | Perpendicular Piles | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal perpendicular piles of 4 balls and stop flop shots inside Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Perpendicular Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Arrange 36 balls into 9 piles of 4 balls each, making 2 lines that cross each other. Keep piles about 2 yards apart, and lines about 5 to 10 yards apart.

2

On the green, make two circles: a small one (2-meter radius) and a big one (5-meter radius) around the hole.

3

Hit all 36 flop shots and try to land each ball inside the circles.

4

Hit 18 shots aiming for the small circle and 18 shots aiming for the big circle.

5

Change where shots come from by using different piles, hitting 2 to 4 shots from each pile that land inside a circle.

6

Count balls inside either circle as successes.

7

Add up all successful shots and enter the total out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825221713963
03

Flop | Rough | Flat

Short Game

Hit flop shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat rough grass.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Rough | Flat
1

Find a flat spot in the rough, 5 to 20 yards from the hole.

2

Set up three targets on the green, spaced apart for three landing zones.

3

Hit 36 flop shots; 12 shots at each target.

4

Keep ball position the same for all shots, only aim at the next target after 12 shots.

5

Try to land the ball softly in the target zone.

6

Count each shot that lands and stops in the correct zone as a success.

7

After 36 shots (12 per target), add up your total successful shots and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825201612853
04

Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit flop shot two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped deep rough and other extreme grass types; one bucket with balls above feet level, and one bucket with balls below feet level.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Deep Rough and Other | Above/Below Feet
1

Prepare two sets of 18 balls: one set for above-feet shots, one set for below-feet shots.

2

Mark three target zones on the green: left, center, and right.

3

Divide 36 shots into three groups of 12: each group has 6 above-feet and 6 below-feet shots. Each group aims 2 shots at each zone.

4

From deep rough and sloped lies, hit two flop shots at each target zone: first above-feet, then below-feet, for all zones.

5

Keep the ball setup the same for all shots. Only change the target zone.

6

Count a ball as a success if it lands and stops in the intended zone.

7

Add up total successes out of 36 attempts and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
05

Flop | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal perpendicular piles of 4 balls and stop flop shots inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Perpendicular Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Place 40 balls into 10 piles of 4 balls each, with the piles in two lines of 5 piles. Lines are about 7 yards apart, and piles are about 2 yards apart within each line.

2

Mark 9 stop zones as a 3-by-3 grid using tees, string, or markers. Zones are about 3 feet apart.

3

Hit 36 balls in total, aiming to land 4 balls in each of the 9 stop zones.

4

Hit 4 balls at the first stop zone from any pile, then move to the next zone and hit 4 balls there. Repeat until all 9 zones are done.

5

Each time a ball stops in the correct zone, count a point.

6

After 36 shots, add up how many balls landed in the correct zones and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963
06

Flop | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Quadrants

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular lines 20 balls per line and stop flop shots inside quadrants. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Quadrants
1

Pick a spot 5 to 20 yards from the hole near the green to practice flop shots.

2

Place 36 balls in two lines so they cross in the middle. Each line has 18 balls, 1 foot apart.

3

Use string or tees to mark 4 equal zones inside a 10-foot circle around the hole.

4

Split the 36 balls into 4 groups of 9 balls. Each group aims for a different zone.

5

From the first line, hit 9 balls to the first zone.

6

From the second line, hit 9 balls to the second zone.

7

Go back to the first line and hit 9 balls to the third zone.

8

From the second line, hit 9 balls to the fourth zone. Count the number of balls that land in the right zone each time. After all shots, enter your total number of successes out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221813964
07

Flop | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal perpendicular piles of 4 balls and hit-and-land flop shots inside landing zones. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Flop | Perpendicular Piles | 3 Landing Zones
1

Set 36 balls into 9 piles of 4 balls each, arranged in two lines, 2 meters apart.

2

Make 3 landing zones on the green using sticks or string, each 2 meters apart in a straight line.

3

Hit 36 flop shots total, 12 shots at each landing zone.

4

Start from any pile and aim for the first zone. Hit 12 shots at this zone.

5

Then hit 12 shots at the second zone, then 12 shots at the third zone.

6

Change piles between shots if wanted, but always use the same type of shot.

7

Any ball landing and stopping inside the target zone is a success.

8

After 36 shots, enter the number of successful shots out of 36 in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

Start the drills at your own pace or work with a coach to inside drills.golf.